Desperate for a Date!
by Hopelessromantic721
Summary: Sakura Mei is in a jam and needs to find a pactio partner fast! With the help of Asuna and Negi, will Mei be able to find her partner in time by going on a surprise date with Kotaro? MeixKotaro kotaroxmei Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

* * *

The walk from the near by market was quite relaxing for Negi and Asuna as they strolled along side by side on the sidewalk.

"Asuna-san! Look!" Negi pointed out the pink flowers not yet in bloom not to far away in the park they walked past. "Let's go see them!"

Asuna didn't complain and followed the young teacher into the dirt walk ways, around the soft grass and large Sakura blossoms. The two young humans who knew so much magic marveled at the sight, taking in for what Spring Vacation could give. "They won't blossom yet. But I hear in this town, they would blossom at a certain time every year." Asuna said brushing her hand on the soft baby petals.

"Really? When?"

"Um…I think it's…"

Suddenly however a soft whimpering sound went off in the distance and both turned their heads to a sobbing girl on a bench. Next to her was a large broom that leaned against the wood of the bench.

"Hey…isn't that the girl from the tournament?" Asuna asked. "Is she crying?" she said in a gasp. Negi immediately then felt a pang in his heroic heart, recognizing the girl and rushed forward, Asuna in tow.

As they came closer, they were surprised to see she was indeed crying. When they neared she looked up sadly at them.

"Um…your Sakura Mei…aren't you?" Negi asked confused and concerned at the same time. The girl with sunset tinted pigtails nodded and wiped away her tears. "Is…there something wrong?" Asuna asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

The girl nodded again, letting out a small whimper. "It's…my One-sama." she wept. "She just scolded me a while back."

"Why would she do that?" Asuna asked now greatly concerned and began to rub her back comfortingly.

"It's…It's going to be my birthday soon. And…One-sama thinks it would be best if…if I would grow up. And take on my own responsibilities." she said softly.

Both redheads turned to one another not knowing what to say.

"You see…ever since I was little…I followed her in her footsteps. It's always been like that. And…she took care of me. She always did. She was…like the big sister I never had. But…" she chocked out covering her face with her hands. "I never knew I had been a bother to her." she said, the tears coming back to her eyes and dripped in between her fingers. "If she wanted to get rid of me…I would do so. But it just…hurts so much to think she would want me to leave so badly."

"Wait…just what does Takane want from you?" Negi asked at last.

Mei wiped away her tears and tried to calm herself. It proved more difficult than she thought as sobs escaped her mouth in her sentences. "See…she already had her Pactio with someone else. A man she is determined to marry. But…she told me that would mean leaving me behind without a partner. She… she wants me to have my own soon. And very soon in fact since she's planning on returning to her home with her partner." The witch finished in a more calmer tone.

"WHAT?!!"

The peaceful air that once filled the park was suddenly shattered to a million pieces as the two kids screamed in shock. Mei jumped almost a foot high at their cry and stared wide eyed at their disbelieving expressions. "Y-Yes! She did!" she said surprised.

"But-But she can't expect you to-to do that on just ANYONE!"

"I know! But I just…I just want to make her proud of me!" Mei exclaimed. Her light colored eyes grew foggy again and she hid her face from them in shame. "I'm a weak magi…I know I'm good…but I can be much better. I-I know I can. And…One-sama knows what's best for me. So…I just have to find me someone and then she'll be happy with me."

Negi and Asuna stared at the girl as she began to weep once more. A helpless feeling washed over them and could only stand there. Asuna was the first to break the ice and faced Negi. A single nod came from her, which Negi replied with a grin.

"We'll help you Mei!" Asuna said.

The girl snapped her head up to them surprised. "Huh?"

"We'll help you!"

"Yes! I'm sure we can find someone who will be suitable for your first Pactio!" Negi added. "There are plenty of young men who would do it!"

"Oh I-I don't want anymore than one!" Mei exclaimed blushing deeply waving her hands about. "I-I only want one and from someone I probably know pretty well!"

"Oh! Of course!" Negi said embarrassingly rubbing his head.

"Well let's get started already!" Asuna cried out grabbing the girl by the hand and literally dragging her out of the park. Her pleas for release were ignored while Negi trailed behind, giving her sympathetic looks for his good friend's behavior.

***

"Borrrrrrrring!" Kotaro yawned as he stretched. He had finished his training with Kaede-san, or Sama as she prefers now, and had been on his own for nearly an hour. Of course he felt exhausted, but with time to heal and rest now, he wanted nothing more than to do something fun again.

The only things he could think up to do was train, pick a fight, play arcade games, or hang out with Negi (and maybe pick a fight then).

But all his plans had their flaws. His training was done and he was instructed to rest now by his sensei otherwise she'll do more brutal training for him NEXT time (and he surely would not be looking forward to that). Picking a fight seemed lesser to him now; like him being a bully. He didn't really want to pick fights if he knew he was going to win. What's the point in that? And he had no money and he can't seem to find his comrades anywhere at the moment.

As with that said, he hopped down from his perch on the building ledge and landed gracefully on his toes. Folding his arms behind his head, he strolled off towards the park across the street. Maybe he'll see something interesting there.

* * *

Oh dear, I wonder of Kotaro knows what he's walking into! Join us next time to find out what happens!


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Next chap! Now we will find out what happens next! Enjoy!

* * *

The dragging slowed down so that Mei could finally run along side the sprinting female. Negi took her right, grinning slightly as they slowed down to a bench in the city streets. It surprised the American female that this bell pigtailed girl could run so fast! Japan had very surprising people to meet she must admit! She flopped down on a park bench panting.

"Ok…first thing's first! What do you want in a guy?" Asuna said taking a seat next to her and looking at the girl expectantly, while glancing around the park any particular males.

"What?" Mei cried out turning pink. She looked to her lap and wringed her hands shyly. "W-Well…I would like to have known him first of all. For a while I guess…j-just to get over that awkward beginning faze I suppose. A-And I would like it if he was nice to me." she said. "And…since he'll be my pactio, it would be helpful if he was strong."

Asuna took all this in and nodded. "Hmm…that narrows it down huh? Ok! Where are the boys you know?"

Mei dropped her head with a gloom cloud hovering over her pigtails. "That was one of the reasons I was crying actually. Everyone I know is back in America." she whimpered. "I know very little people in this country other than from the ones we met in the tournament."

Asuna bit her lip and patted the girl on the shoulder. "Well…this proves difficult." Negi said hopelessly. Asuna nodded and turned all around the city, spotting someone walking by.

"Look!" Asuna hissed bringing Mei close to her (by yanking her arm off her shoulder practically). She pointed to a black haired boy walking casually by them with his arms folded behind his head. "You know him right?" she asked the mage girl.

Mei blushed a deep magenta as she recognized the boy as he opponent from the tournament. "Wh-what?! Him?!? No, no, no! Not him! I-I can't!"

"Hey you said you wanted someone you knew, someone nice, and who's powerful! You remember him obviously, and he's nice to you isn't he?"

"Well more or less, b-but-"

"And from my past experiences I found he's plenty powerful opponent. He's perfect!" Negi said. He blinked, surprised he said all that in one sentence without messing up. Maybe he can say it three times fast…

"But-But what will I do?! What will I say?!" Mei cried out turning redder and redder.

"Just ask him out!"

Negi right then began to have some doubts. After all, the boy was known to not like girls in that distinction. In fact, he viewed them all as annoying or weak. Either way, he didn't think it would help their situation if Mei came begging to him for a date.

Glancing at the girl, Negi felt a pang in his heart thinking this girl would lose someone very close to her and have her heart crushed by someone she really cares about if she fails them. He knew that feeling all too well, and would do anything to help.

Then an idea entered his brilliant little mind! It may prove risky, but he has to try and do it! "Wait! Give me a minute ok?" he asked them both and immediately rushed after the dog boy. The girls took this time to hide quickly from sight and watched as the young teacher ran to Kotaro.

* * *

"Kotaro!"

"Huh? Oh hey Negi!" Kotaro said waving to the boy. "What's got you so worked up?"

"N-Nothing at all! I just wanted to come by and say hi!" Negi said grinning.

"Ok then…" the dog boy replied, eyeing his eager expression. Something was out of place…he just couldn't figure it out.

"So Kotaro! Is it true you like Chizuru-san?"

Not only did Kotaro fell over, but Mei and Asuna did as well from their hiding spot, landing in their own confused dusty clouds! The boy leapt back to his feet grabbing the front of his shirt angrily. "What kind of question is that?!!" he shouted his eyes blazing. Negi didn't looked fazed at all, but a sweatdrop did appear on the side of his head.

"Well it was just a rumor I heard is all. People say you and her were close and-"

"There's nothing happening between me and her! Chizu-nechan is my Nechan! My sister! NOTHING ELSE!" the cacine shouted in his face.

"Ok! Ok! I just wanted to get your word first!" Negi laughed, gently trying to pull him off.

"Well my say is the truth! And if you meet anyone else who says different, I'll beat his face in!" Kotaro yelled angrily.

"What if it's a girl?" Negi asked, knowing Kotaro's rightous demenor of not hitting girls.

"…" Now at this Kotaro fell silent. His face looked lost for that comment. "I…" he began, but failed for an answer.

"Well anyways, I just wanted to ask you that and if your busy at the moment."

"Huh, what? Oh, no. I'm done for the day. In fact, I think I'm done for the week." Koatro said releasing the child teacher and folding his arms behind his head. He glanced around to the flower petals with a forlorn smile. "I kinda want to see the trees bloom this year. Never seen it before you know?"

"Ah. I see." Negi said smiling at the trees as well.

"Why? You wanna fight?" Kotaro asked with a glint in his eye. "We still haven't had our match! And I've been training REALLY hard!"

"No, no. I was just wondering. And…if you have taken Yue-san's words to heart." he added slowly watching Kotaro's expression. The ebony haired boy quirked his eyebrow at Negi curiously.

"What are you saying?" Obviously he forgot.

"Well, you remember how she said those who don't know love don't know full strength right?"

"Riiiight…"

"Well, I was wondering. Have you ever kissed a girl?"

It was then Kotaro fell over again and the girls hiding mimicked his actions, dust clouds bigger this time. Asuna glared daggers at the back of Negi's head, using all her power to send them into his scull with her mind! "What the hell is that squirt up to?!" she hissed. Mei began to tear up comically, hoping to the heavens that he wasn't going to ask the boy FOR her on a date. How embarrassing!!

"What is wrong with you today?!!" Kotaro roared shaking the boy by the collar. Negi laughed some and stepped away from his grip. "Well I was just curious that's all. I mean…**I** HAVE kissed more girls than you…I have to say it's kinda of sad that you haven't yet…"

"Negiiii…" Kotaro growled with a dark aura growing around his body. Even Negi couldn't ignore the nasty malevolence in his eyes so he quickly got to the point.

"Well, I'm just saying, why not go out some time with a girl?"

"Huh?! Are you crazy?! I can't do that! A stupid girl would only mess up my time! I'm a lone wolf! A man who looks out for himself! A-"

"A loner who will die alone with his words repeated over and over even in his grave if he don't get a girlfriend." Negi cut it.

"WHY YOU!!!" Kotaro shouted and gave chase after Negi who laughed all around the grass fields. Asuna and Mei sweatedropped from behind the bush at the sight of two boys running around as though this was a game. Then again, they did seem to have an odd relationship, so this shouldn't surprise them much.

"What on earth is wrong with him?" Asuna groaned slapping her forehead. Mei gave a hopeless whine and stood up. "I give up. Maybe I'll become a lone wolf too…"

"Oh no you don't!" Asuna cried out dragging the girl back down. "Sit!" she ordered.

"So are you going to do it Kotaro-kun?" Negi cried out over his shoulder.

"I am gonna kill you if that's what you mean!" the dog boy shouted still in chase.

"No! Are you going to ask a girl out I mean!"

"NO!"

"Fine be a spineless wimp!"

By this time Kotaro managed to grab Negi and gave him a noogie. "First of all, I'm NOT spineless! I know no fear! Second, you think of calling me wimp again I'll do more than just a noogie!"

"Ah ha ha! And then?" Negi laughed.

Kotaro stopped and shoved the young teacher away then folded his arms, nose in the air. "And then nothing!" he yelled.

"But won't you consider it? You know all great warriors always have someone to back them up!" Negi said with a grin.

"Yeah, you should know. You have 30 of girls after you." Kotaro said dryly.

"That's more than you got." Negi said taking out his long broom (with magic of course) and flying off on it before Kotaro had a chance to take him on again. "Just consider it! You might like it! That is if you're not too scared to!"

"Get back here coward!" the dog boy on the ground shouted furiously. He gave chase, leaving the girls to stare dumbly from the bushes. Asuna stood up and grabbed the fellow pigtailed girl by the arm. "C'mon!"

"No!" Mei yelled and grabbed a tree. "I refuse to go! You can't make me!"

"Don't be such a baby!" Asuna yelled grabbing her waist, and pulled the girl with all her might from the tree she clung to. Mei proved to be stronger than she looked as she held to the bark like a frightened cat of water.

* * *

Oh my my! Negi is a sly little badger isn't he? But we can all be assured he has a plan (I think). Still, hope you all enjoyed this! More to come later!


	3. Chapter 3

Next vahp up now! XD Now Negi unleashes his plan! And yeah, Negi is being OCC here, but how else are you going to get this story along if the little guy doesn't act so grown up? Besides, at this point I'm sure he learned a thing or two from the girls.

* * *

"How about a wager then?" Negi cried out at a safe distance away. Kotaro ran after him still, but Negi slowed down a bit for him to catch up while they were still in the park. "If you'll go on a date and get a kiss from a girl, we'll have our match at last. No interruptions or anything. Just you and me to prove once and for all…who is the strongest."

Kotaro finally stopped to look up at the boy surprised but suspicious. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"And what if I don't get a kiss?"

"Nothing. This is entirely in your favor. But this girl has to ask YOU out first AND she's got to be the one to kiss you. If you ask anyone out by force or you make the kiss, then the bet's off."

Kotaro looked thoughtful for a moment. A few things ran through him mind then; like why was Negi suddenly gambling on something so stupid? Was it punishment for him teasing him all this time about girls? Or something else?

The boy quickly went over the numbers and found nothing wrong with going out with a girl. All he had to do was find a girl, find a way to make her ask him, and be pleasant enough for the rest of the day to get a kiss. Simple. Plus he'll finally get that second fight out of him after so long.

"Alright Negi! You got yourself a deal!"

Negi grinned. Glancing up a bit he noticed Asuna marching towards them with Mei in tow. "Very well then. Good luck! I'll hear about your date soon! But maybe you'll be too scared to go on one!" he added with a laugh and earned a bark of anger from Kotaro down below.

* * *

Mei and Asuna looked to one another as they finally spotted that angry mutt bouncing around by himself shouting to the heavens. Asuna then huffed out a breathe and suddenly pushed the girl out of the bush. She urged her to the boy, but Mei wouldn't budge. She was rooted to the spot scared stiff! She looked back to Asuna, as though begging her to let her come back, but Asuna shook her head and pointed to the dog boy stomping their way. When Asuna noticed this, she ducked back into the leaves, leaving poor Mei in the boy's rampaging path!

"Stupid Negi! With his stupid ideas and his stupid wand going- DAH!" he cried out crashing into Mei. "Ouch! Hey watch where your go-Oh!" he gasped seeing Mei on the ground staring at him just as surprised as he was. "It's you! Uh...Mie, right?"

"Um…M-Mei." Mei said awkwardly blushing. The boy helped her stand up to her feet and she brushed off some grass leaves clinging to her skirt.

"Sorry about that. Didn't see you there." Kotaro apologized.

"It's ok. I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah I am."

An odd silence fell over them both. A wind blew by, passing them both and sending a bustle of leaves into the air. Mei tapped her feet on the ground nervously while Kotaro rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Well…see ya later." Kotaro said walking away.

"Ah…um…" Mei stumbled with her words. _'Say it! Go on!'_ her mind screamed. _'You got nothing left to loose! Just say it for the sake of your sanity!'_ "Um…K-Kotaro?!" she cried out to him.

"Hmm?" the boy said turning back to the teen.

"Um…well…I…" she stuttered shyly glancing away.

"What?" Kotaro said confused.

"Well…I-I was wondering…w-would…would you like to…I-I don't know. Go…for a walk…around…and hang out?" she asked shyly looking at him through her bangs. Kotaro just blinked, nat really hearing her small voice. Seeing no reaction from the boy she bit her lip and assured more courage from the very center of her being. "No. W-What I mean to say is…would you…like to…g-go out with ...m-m-me?"

Kotaro blinked in surprise; a jolt going through his systems then. It was an odd sensation on his part; Something he never felt before. He quickly shook the feeling off and huffed. The dog boy looked away, ready to decline when Negi's words rang in his canine ears. He gave an internal grunt and shoved his hands into his pockets, staring at the ground and not the girl.

"Y-yeah. I guess we could." he muttered turning a shade of pink.

Mei blinked several times. "W-What?" she gasped! "You mean it? Really?" she said honestly surprised. Just what did Negi say to him?

"Yeah, I said yes already!" Kotaro said his face burning. He felt his pride being stabbed a million times over and over again. He was actually going to stoop low…just to prove Negi wrong.

Mei's face broke into a gentle smile and she beamed happily at Kotaro. "Th-Thank you Kotaro…um, kun!" she said not sure how to address him.

"Whatever." he muttered starting to walk away quickly.

"Um, so Tomorrow at the fountain? 9 am?" she called after him.

"Sure, whatever!" Kotaro yelled back waving without turning around. His face burned madly and he stomped his feet in pent up aggression. He was SO going to kill a certain little Mage when he gets the chance to!

Mei stood there with a happy grin and hopped into the air happily. "I did it! I did it! I d-" she stopped feeling the blood drain from her face. "Oh no…I just asked a boy out. I-I never-"

"Come on Mei! Let's get you ready!" Asuna shouted coming out of nowhere, grabbing the girl by the hand and sprinting to her room back at the Academy. She held a proud grin for her friend as she sprinted at full speed towards her dorm room. Meanwhile Mei moaned in despair at the upcoming events the next day.

* * *

Oh boy! Mei became brave enough to ask for a date! What events will await our favroite little mage?


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! Next chapter up!

* * *

Kotaro marched around the park several times until he found the fountain. He should have known it would be in the center of the place. Especially since so many people crowded around the thing, staring at the spurting water and cuddling under the cherry blossom trees. It was dead giveaway.

Kotaro quickly fixed his jacket and went over as casually as he could without giving away how nervous he was becoming. The night before…hadn't been his best.

"_Oh Kotaro! We heard your going on a date! How wonderful!"_

"_WHA?! I-ITS NOT A-HOW'D YOU KNOW NECHAN?!!"_

"_Oh everyone knows!"_

"_Was it Negi-"_

"_Now, now! We must get you ready for tomorrow! It's a big day after all! Starting with a bath!"_

"_Yeah! I'll help too Chizu-Nee!"_

"_What?! NO!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!"_

The dog boy shuddered at the memory. He hated taking baths…especially since Chizu-nechan and Natsumi-nechan would go the extra mile to make him cleansed for his date.

"It's not a date!" he muttered to himself kicking a pebble out of the way. "That girl just wants to walk around the town with me. And why wouldn't she? She asked a REAL man after all! Yeah…she probably just wants some protection!" Kotaro said tooting his own horn (or doggy ear we should say).

Well Kotaro walked around the large fountain, but found no sign of the girl anywhere. He must have been early. Then again, he rushed out of the apartment room of his roommates as fast as he could before they could "suggest and outfit" for him. So to relax his nerves, he took a seat on the fountains' edge and stared at the passing people. Minutes ticked on by and he began to grow impatient. Checking and rechecking the crowds he was expecting to see the girl come out with her broom in hand, or school skirt on.

As time progressed even further he began to await her arrival with anticipation for some reason. Wanting to see her coming out with that small smile on her face.

He turned and flopped on his stomach and to trace circles on the water's edge. "Damn…what's taking her so long?" he growled. He wished he had a watch for something.

"Um…Kotaro-kun?" a timid voice called out to him. In the wavy reflection, Kotaro could see orange hair with Sakura pins.

"Finally! I thought you forgot-" Kotaro stopped dead cold at seeing Mei for the first time that day.

"Um…am I too dressy?" she asked in a timid voice. She wore a simple black dress with the top part of it white just above her breast and a ribbon swaying out behind her like two pretty animal tails. The long sleeves covered her arms with black designer lines going over the very ends. The dress itself went a little ways past her waist letting her thigh high stockings show while stylish boots graced her feet. Her hair was slightly different that day. The Sakura pins were there, but her hair was let down, letting them fall past her shoulders and showing her designer haircut that was hidden in her pigtails. And today, Kotaro noted, her bangs were highlighted into a softer shade of her usual hair color; almost a pink hue.

The boy with dog ears hidden under a cap stared wide eyed for the longest time. He hadn't expected her to come…so…so… He couldn't even describe how she looked to him at the moment. He just sat there gaping like a guppy. Now he didn't honestly know why he was suddenly feeling this way since he's been seeing all kinds of girls lately. Cute ones, ugly ones, angry ones, beautiful ones, mean ones, nice ones, crazy ones, powerful ones, weak ones, and so much more! So why was he acting weird around THIS one? What was so special about her that made him feel so…

"Did you wait long?" Mei asked walking up to him. Kotaro finally snapped out of his daze and managed a shaky grin.

"Y-Yeah. You look very pretty." he said looking her over once more. "I guess it was worth the wait." For some reason though, when the words slipped out of his mouth, he felt an odd burn come over his face and his confidence drop a bit.

Mei turned a dark shade of pink as well and smiled shyly. "T-Thank you." she said.

That one smile gave Kotaro all the courage he needed. He jumped up to his feet, forgetting the bet with Negi for the moment and took her hand in his. He ignored the butterflies and led her away into the park. "Come on, let's go into town then!" he said speeding up.

"Ah! K-Kotaro-k-kun! Wait please!" the girl squealed nearly tripping over her own two feet.

Meanwhile, two heads popped out of a tree, startling a bird away. "You think he'll mess it up?" one whispered from behind a ski mask.

"Well…if he does. We'll be there to fix it!" the other hissed back. He paused and muttered under his breathe, "I hope I'm doing the right thing-"

"Shut it!" the taller one hissed.

A third, much smaller form appeared on the shoulder of the smaller spy with a mask covering his furry face as well. He grinned toothily and pointed forward to the running couple. "Alright team! AFTER THEM!"

* * *

Oh boy, Kotaro was surprised! But don't worry, I made it so he wasn't gaping like an idiot. he's still a natural ladies man at heart! :D Hope you enjoyed so far!


	5. Chapter 5

Yay! Next chpt!

* * *

Banners hung everywhere. From small shop tops to the tallest of buildings; each had some sort of floral design for the upcoming festival. Kotaro and Mei stopped at one shop to stare into the pinkest of all pink shops round, filled with ribbons, toys, fluff's, and all sorts of clothes…all in pink.

Kotaro glanced at Mei and was surprised to see the girl's expression turn sour. "What?" he asked.

The girl blinked in surprise and turned to him as though she was caught stealing cookies. She gave a nervous giggle and looked to her shoes. "Well…I was never one to like the color pink." she admitted as though it was a crime. "I mean…I just don't like how some girls overdue the color." she added. She played with her Sakura pins, turning the same shade. "Maybe an accessory or two, but really…how much pink can you wear?"

Kotaro nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Some of the girls Negi teaches overdue some things. I'll never understand them." he said shaking his head.

Mei mildly agreed with the boy and both continued their walk through the town. Close behind them, three figures moved with stealth and agility through the streets. Sticking to the shadows and ignoring the confused and odd looks coming their way from pedestrians. All three would take every chance they got to hide while keeping a good distance from the couple.

"So….uh, where do you want to go?" Kotaro asked the girl placing his hands behind his head.

"Oh…well…I'm not so sure." Mei admitted, then turned red in the face. 'What should I do?! Oh no! I'm probably messing this up now as we speak! What should I do?! What should I do?' she thought frantically.

Kotaro blinked curiously as the girl began to shake a little while her eyes went big and frightened. "Um….everything alright there?"

Mei snapped up to the boy, her hands still over her cheeks. "Oh! I-I'm fine!" she sputtered out in a high squeaky voice while waving her hands about.

Kotaro merely stared at her oddly before shrugging. As he did, Mei felt a million rocks had just dropped in his abdomen. 'Great. Now he thinks I'm a freak!'

While the girl had her own pity session, Kotaro moved his eyes to something he didn't see before. "Hey, check it out."

Mei stopped to look over where Kotaro pointed to. A small opening with the sign reading, "Couples Only" hung outside, standing only a few feet away. To their best guess, it looked to be an elevator going nowhere. The building it was attached to was only one story higher; highly unnecessary for an elevator.

"Let's check it out!" Kotaro exclaimed grabbing the girl by the hand and dragging her into the elevator before she could protest. It was a tight fit, but the two managed to squeeze in together. The dog boy blushed a little as he was pushed against the girl's neck, getting a strong whiff of her perfume.

"Um…I don't think we should-"

"Of course we should!" Kotaro yelled, once again pushing down the butterflies fluttering in his stomach and pressed the button. They both instinctively looked up, waiting to go into the building. To their shock, a trap door opened under their feet and they feel through screaming!

* * *

"W-What just happened?!" Asuna screamed tearing off her ski-mask. Negi did the same while Chamo hopped onto the ground.

"Hmm…seems they went underground somehow." he muttered.

* * *

Uh oh! What just happened?! Had Mei and Kotaro fallen for a trap? A trick? Find out soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Whee! Next chapt! I should be studying, but I aint!

* * *

Kotaro and Mei fell and fell, both screaming at the top of their lungs. Mei then pulled out her card and shouted out the magical words to bring out her broom. Quickly as she could, she grabbed Kotaro and placed him behind her and zoomed upwards to the exit! Just as they went though the door, they heard a roar from within the darkness!

The dog boy landed on the ground and rushed over to shut the false elevator shut, tearing off the sign. "Bastards!" he shouted banging on the door. "Who would put a death trap out here?!" He glanced around, finding no one else on the street at the moment and used his strength to bend the metal to an inoperable shape. "What was down there anyway?!"

Mei had her hand over her heart and shook her head. "I don't know. But I rather not find out what was down there."

The two began to walk away again, feeling a bit more jittery than before. Just as they walked away, Negi and Asuna rushed to the elevator to inspect it. Chamo went on and grabbed the sign. Fliping it around, it found another sign that read, "underground movie basement in progress". The ermine eyed the sign strangely. "Who would think of putting a movie studio in a basement?"

* * *

"Say…how about some ice cream to cool us down huh?" Kotaro asked.

"Sure. Why not." Mei said smiling, but still shaking a bit.

Later at a small French styled café, Mei and Kotaro basked in the peace of distant violin music and their ice cream.

Kotaro glanced up at the girl, who in turn turned around from watching the petals fall to him. He grinned a bit and Mei smiled shyly. That little distraction caused the girl to miss her target (the mouth) and splatter her icy treat on her cheek and nose.

"Ah! Cold!" she squeaked, dropping her ice cream all together on the ground. "Oh no…"

Kotaro blinked at the fallen ice cream and back to the girl. Looking at his own he sighed and reached out to her. "Here."

Mei blinked at the dark chocolate ice cream. "Oh no! I couldn't! That's yours-"

"It's not right for a man to have something while a lady is unhappy." He said, nearly shoving the treat into her hands. She took it with reluctance and turned to him.

"B-But your not done-"

"Neither are you, but I'll fix that." He said.

"Eh?"

Kotaro's eyes held no expression as he leaned over to her face, his tongue slipping out of his lips. The girl stared at him wide eyed as he came up to her face and closed his eyes, licking gently at her cheek. It moved around her face until it came to her nose, sending hard shivers down her spine.

"OH MY GOD!" Asuna cried out turning beat red. Negi was no better as he stared at the scene with popping eyes! "I-I-Is he LICKING her?!"

"H-He is a dog at heart..." Negi thought out loud, but did not stop blushing.

"Next step is French kissing." Chamo said grinning, staring at the couple in the European resturant.

Mei's face couldn't get any redder as she felt the boy's rough tongue travel over her skin. Closing her eyes, she willed herself not to move, hoping she wouldn't faint! But with an erratic beating heart drumming in her ears and a sensual feeling washing over her body, she couldn't help but feel weak in his grasp. Another thing, and this scared her, was…she could care less.

Soon enough the warm mouth piece was gone and she opened her eyes to see the boy licking the last remnants of ice cream off his own lips. He seemed calm and in control, as though licking someone else's face was totally normal.

That's when it struck her. Kotaro was part DOG! That meant it WAS normal for him to lick someone else's face! He was practically being friendly!

Mei dropped her head in embarrassment, thinking lowly of herself to be thinking such dirty things on something so simple.

"So, where to next?" Kotaro spoke up. He noted how the girl jumped and stumbled for words. He decided to pick for her and save herself from hyperventaling and glanced around. "Over there looks nice!" he said pointing to a section of an alley where cages of animals were held. The sign, "Pets for sale" read above in bight letters.

Mei nodded, still shaking from the warm sensation crawling over her body. Kotaro raised an eyebrow at her curiously as she nearly sprinted away from her seat and towards the pets.

"What got into her?" he asked himself.

* * *

"Come on! Their going into the animal cages!"

"I'm coming!" Negi said, tripping over his own feet. He never knew Kotaro was THAT daring! Or was he just clueless as what he just did?

* * *

Yah, Kotaro don't know how to act around girls. And when he does something, he does it with no idea how it affects someone. XD What will come next on their adventures I wonder.


	7. Chapter 7

Yay! Next chapt! I'm glad everyone is liking it so far! :D Kotaro can be so cute to write about. Mei's going to have a tough time with him though! Enjoy!

* * *

Kotaro smiled at one cage with a tiny bunny in it. He blinked when several more came out from nowhere and hobbled over to him, begging for attention. He chuckled and wagged a finger at them, watching with delight as they hopped and bounced, probably thinking it was a carrot.

Mei on the other hand was staring sadly at the more poorly kept animals. These were the ones the owner said were found in alleyways just frequently and had yet to be treated properly because of low funding. Of course they said they were doing the best they could, but a home was what they really needed.

Mei cursed herself for being mildly allergic to some animals. She deeply wanted to help them in some way.

Moving further and further into the back, Mei kept her eyes on the poorest of animals, hoping to find one she could maybe keep for herself. Kotaro didn't notice his date moving away from him, nor the fact she seemed to be going into deeper parts of the alley. Darker and more sinister looking parts at that.

Mei walked on and on, finding that the long rows of cages soon emptied and led to a dock with a few sailing boats. She never knew there was one so close. Glancing around, she gasped at the sight of unfmailer grounds. Even the cages she thought to be following was out of her sight. All this led to one thing; she was lost! "Oh no…NOW what do I…"

Her voice trailed off at the sound of soft whimpering. With eyes widening, Mei traveled closer into unknown territories, mind set on the tiny pathetic whines! The witch maneuvered around large wooden boxes, some bigger than her entire body while others looked small enough to hold a tiny person. Either way, they proved to be both obstacles and walls to a maze. She felt more lost than ever before. But the whining never seized and she kept going.

Mei walked towards the whimpering sounds and saw cages in the near back. Something small shivered in an iron cage and Mei rushed forward to it. "Oh no…you poor thing. Hang on now." she said and rummaged through her bag.

Meanwhile, several other cages behind the unsuspecting girl opened up magically, letting loose huge, drooling, mad dogs. Their beady little eyes stared at the girl and they slowly pawed their way to her.

"There!" she said taking out a piece of bread. "It's a bit stale…I hope you don't mind." the girl said bringing the bread to the small puppy. The animal perked up and took the food into its mouth hungrily. Mei smiled and petted its head. "There now…all better!"

The puppy suddenly looked up alarmed and started to bark madly behind her. "Wh-What's wrong? Why are you-"

The young female with orange hair stopped dead cold at the sound of low growling coming from behind. The blood in her body quicken under her skin with her heart jumping to her throat. Cold sweat gathered on her skin as she lost feeling in her legs. Slowly she turned and faced over 10 menacing dogs staring her down with sharp jagged teeth; drool dripping from the nasty lips and eyes filled with fire.

* * *

"Mei? Man…where did she go?" Kotaro said. He walked into the deeper part of cages, surprised that no one was there and even more surprised how far the rows went. He glanced back, finding he was well out of ear range. He groaned and ran further away, finding the rows ended and found white boats on misty foggy waters. Odd considering she was sure it was sunny earlier.

"Where did that girl-"

**_"EEEEEEEEEK!!"

* * *

_**Uh oh! Mei is in trouble! Did Kotaro hear it? Will he save her? Find out soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Whee! Next chapt! Keep those comments coming poeple! The more I read, the more this comes along!

* * *

Kotaro froze up completely at the scream. His ears popped out and the nails on his fingers grew into claws. His angry eyes looked in every direction now, taking in every crook and cranny of the docks. "Mei!! Where are you?!" he shouted into the air.

His answer came to him the second he shouted, as she rounded a corner and sped straight towards him.

"Mei-eeeeehhh!!" Kotaro cried out as a whole flurry of angry dogs came stampeding after the girl!

"Help me! Help me! Help me!" she screamed in one breathe running to Kotaro. She immediately leaped into his arms and held onto him in fright. Kotaro stumbled back a bit but regained his balance, jumping into the air and over the crates just as the dogs rushed at them.

"Geez…you sure know how to make new friends… don't ya?"

All Kotaro got was an endless line of apologies as the girl held on tightly to the boy. Kotaro rolled his eyes and slammed a hand on the ground, letting the shadows under his feet become alive and grow into forms of wolfs! They all panted like exciting puppies, clearly not intimidated by the drooling monsters before them.

Mei had her face buried in his shoulder, hearing the countless growls and howls surrounding her and hugging onto the boy even tighter! Holding him gave her a feeling of protection she never felt with anyone else. A feeling she was not too soon to let go.

Kotaro glanced at her for any injuries and breathed inward seeing her leg scratched and bleeding profoundly. That did nothing to sooth his anger. Without a word, Kotaro waved a hand forward and the shadow wolfs charged forth, taking care of the beasts as the dog boy sped in the opposite direction.

"W-Wait! There's a puppy still in there!" Mei cried out pointing to the crates. Kotaro looking down seeing there was indeed a small animal in a cage, barking at all the ruckus. He landed down with Mei still in his arms and ran to the cage! Once there, he sliced the lock into pieces in one swipe of his claw! The puppy inside barked excitedly in thanks and sprinted off!

"He'll be fine." Kotaro said noting the worried look on Mei's face. "Let's just get you out of here!" he cried out and leaped into the air once more.

* * *

"Are you scared of dogs THAT badly?"

"No…I was just scared by how many there were and how they looked at me." Mei whimpered softly. She stared at her wound, already bandaged up from Kotaro's help and feeling more pathetic then ever before in herself. She REALLY made a good impression on the dog boy today. She only had to almost get killed and be rescued. Way to win a guys heart.

Kotaro and Mei sat in front of the old world tree, staring off into the afternoon skies. People were walking all around them, pointing to the large tree and the city overlooking it. They each sat on a square stone column going along the stairway, with Kotaro sitting on a higher one. Mei took a seat only below him looking shamefully at her shoes, a cloud of gloom hovering over her head.

"Well they must have thought you had more bread on ya. And guessing by how badly they were treated, I'm sure they would have ripped you part to get it." Kotaro said swinging his legs over the stone rail.

"Ah don't say that!" Mei whimpered hugging her arms around her. "The way hey looked at me…it was like they wanted to eat ME!"

"Maybe they did."

Mei let out a wail and Kotaro groaned. "They're gone ok? You're safe now. Relax will ya?"

"I can't help it. They really scared me. More than the time when-" Mei gasped and covered her mouth. Kotaro however heard the slip up and turned to her.

"More than…?" he asked suspiciously.

"It-Its nothing! That was definitely a scary time! Yep! I-I'm just being my stupid self again! D-Don't worry Kotaro!" Mei laughed nervously while waving her hands in all sorts of directions. She became more nervous when the young man's eyes narrowed down on her and she looked away.

"No…there's more to it than that right?" he asked hopping off the pedestal and marching to her so that he stood over her form. Fists over his hips, he stared her down with unrelenting dark eyes. "Tell. Me." It wasn't a request; it was a demand. One the mage couldn't seem to refuse.

"Um…well…uh…" Mei stammered but promptly gave up and sighed. "Ok...I'll tell you."

* * *

OH MY! What is mei going to say to the dog boy? So many mysteries...so little time to tell them all!


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

Mei twiddled her fingers together as she gathered her thoughts. Kotaro remained patient as she licked her lips nervously. Already her form began to shake at the memory long ago. "Well…you see when I was very little…I used to live with my big sister. My real big sister. We lived with my father, sometimes my mother, and we would always go out to play in the yard with our pet kittens." Mei said smiling in thought. "We always had fun."

Seeing as Kotaro was still waiting for an explanation she continued. "W-Well one day we went out on a misty afternoon for a walk, like we usually do. But when we were walking back…it got dark." She said. Kotaro noticed how her hands tightened over her forearms until he feared she was going to draw brood from her skin. "Then…a big…BIG dog came out of nowhere. It attacked me and my sister, with my father trying to stop it. It was just too big though, and the dog took him out by ramming him into a tree. He…He went after me and bit into my stomach."

Mei lightly touched her abdomen, eyes quivering at the memory. "I'll never forget how his eyes looked at me. He was starving for me."

Kotaro fell silent, unable to believe what happened to her. Mei shook her head and blinked up at the boy, seeming to be shocked in herself for drifting into space like that. She turned away bashfully. "Then the dog fell into the river, dragging me with him. Thankfully though someone came by and saved me before I could drown. But still…the dog never let go of me."

Silence fell over both kids, the only sound being the passing civilians and the distant chatter around them in their own worlds. Kotaro bit his lip and looked at the girl curiously.

"But…you still like animals? …Right?" he asked. Somehow, he placed himself in the position of an animal. He wanted some reassurance that he was somehow viewed likable in the girl's eyes.

"Well…yes. I do. I love them. I have two cats at home with a new born puppy." she said smiling softly. "But we weren't allowed to bring pets over seas for the trip, so I had to leave them with my big sister."

"So, your just afraid of big dogs?" he asked confused.

"No. I'm just scared of ones that look hungry at me. Which is why I'm certain to feed my puppy every chance I get!" she giggled.

Kotaro watched as the girl's eyes grew lost in thought and she brought her knees up to her chest. "I really do miss them though."

Kotaro stared at the girl for a few minutes before giving a heavy sigh. Taking a quick glance around, he saw no humans were looking their way. Lifting a hand in the air a dark sphere appeared in his palm. The darkness then hopped out of his hand and landed on the ground taking shape.

"Hey Mei! Check it out!"

Mei perked up her head to see a small black dog sitting in front of her. Its tongue hung out and it stared at her with blank, white, curious eyes.

"Oh…hello there!" Mei chirped happily. She jumped out of her seat and ran to the dog. To her surprise it didn't run away nor growled at her. In fact, it raised a paw to her for a handshake. Mei was giggling with delight as she pet the dog behind its ears, seeing with glee that it whined for attention. "Kotaro! Look! He's not scared of me!" she squealed.

Kotaro just grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it looks like he really likes you." he said.

Mei continued to play with the puppy, petting it and laughing as it would run in circles around her feet. Kotaro took a seat and just watched them for a while. Watched how the girl's shy face brightened up profoundly until it glowed with pure joy. He found himself resting his chin on his palm while leaning on his leg, lost in his thoughts as he stared at the girl; her hair that danced in the wind; her eyes that sparkled in the sunlight; her smile that grew whenever the puppy would lick at her hand or cheek.

When the girl glanced at him, she saw his face looked to be under some sort of spell with his eyes dimmed and his face passive. "I-I'm sorry Kotaro! I'm keeping us up aren't I?" the girl stammered.

The mage's voice snapped the boy out of his little dream and he blushed seeing he was busted. He whirled his face away pouting. "N-No. It's alright."

Of course he willed the dog away with his powers to give himself a distraction. The dark puppy barked in another direction, pretending to be calling for its master, and ran off. Mei blinked in surprise but smiled. "Well, at least I had fun with him while I could."

Kotaro nodded and quickly jumped to his feet, still trying to will down the blush on his face. "Well, where to next?" he roughly asked.

Mei hummed in thought while taking a few steps down the stairs. "Well…I don't know. What do you want to do?"  


* * *

"This is bad! The date is starting to draw into "boring" territories!" Asuna hissed held a hankerschief to his face, crying out little tears. "That poor girl...and that boy to cheer her up with a dog. That's so noble of him!"

"Oh spare me ermine!" Asuna snapped. Negi meanwhile was pondering something at her side. "Hello? Earth to miniature teacher! This date was your idea! Now do something to keep it interesting!"

"But…that's the thing." she heard the boy murmur.

"What do you mean?"

"So far…these incidents have…I don't know." the boy said scratching his head in thought. He looked at the pig-tailed girl. "Didn't they seem…odd? Like they were planned?"

At this, Asuna blinked. She fell into thought and nodded after some minutes. "Yeah…now that I think about it…"

"Well, for now we can worry about that later!" Chamo cried out, landing on Negi's head and pointing down at the bottom of the stairs where the couple were disappearing into the busy streets quickly. "Right now we gatta tail those two!"

"Right!" the kids cried out, jumping out of their hiding spot (which wasn't really a hiding spot since it was just behind a vase with a small tree in it).


	10. Chapter 10

WHOA! I didn't think anyone was still reading this! But I'm glad they are! Now I can update! Hope you like it~

* * *

Kotaro clicked his tongue, running his eyes over the shops they passed by. Mei kept glancing at him, biting her lip in worry.

'Am I boring him? I'm not exactly saying anything. SAY SOMETHING! But what? What should we talk about? The fight we had? …No. The take-over Choa-san almost did not to long ago? No. His training? Oh! Yes! That!'

"So-" both said at the same time. Mei jumped, as Kotaro quickly shut his mouth, both turning a slight shade of pink. "You first." he said.

"Oh, um…I-I was wondering, how is your training? I hear you've gotten stronger." Mei said smiling a bit.

Kotaro grinned and folded his arms over his chest, his ego inflating twice as big at that very second. "You heard right!" he bragged. "I've been training with Kaede-sama for a while now. I've brought up my strength, became faster, and…" at this he smirked at her. "Became a better swimmer. So now there's nothing to worry about you falling in the water."

Mei flushed a deep red and smiled uneasily in return. "Well, th-that was an accident caused by you." she pointed out.

Kotaro flinched and then scratched his cheek, avoiding her eyes. "Oh yeah…"

"B-But I do appreciate the gesture…"

Kotaro looked over to her, freezing as her face lit up in a gentle glow, eyes softening up as they met his. "Kotaro-san."

For some alien reason, warmth washed up to his face, turning him into a beat red and then he looked away quickly. 'W-What the hell was THAT?! My heart feels like its pounding out of control!' he screamed in his head.

Mei cocked her head slightly, seeing the boy turn away abruptly. A thought entered her mind that she might have insulted him by using his name so familiarly even when she always called him that. Her usual paranoid thoughts caused her to stutter out, "Kotaro-san?" Then suddenly a paper slapped into her face. She screamed in a panic, swatting it off. But to her misfortune, it stuck to her hand, and she slapped it instead to Kotaro's face, since he whipped his head towards her direction at her cry. The girl gasped as he saw her mistake. "Ah! Sorry!"

"S'right." Kotaro mumbled into the paper. "I should be used to this by now." He yanked it off, blinking as he saw the title. "Costume Contest?" he sputtered.

Mei looked over the boy's shoulder, scanning it with her light colored eyes. "A costume party will be held in the open area on the north-west side of town. Come and join the hundreds of others as your favorite animal. Best pair of costumes will win…WHAT?!"

"A hundred thousand YEN?!" Kotaro screamed for her.

"Contestants will be judged exactly at 5 pm! Come over for the fun, stay for the punch, and maybe leave with the prize!" Mei finished reading with a gasp.

Kotaro stared at the paper for a second longer before shaking his head and crumbling it up in hid hand. "Ah what a stupid contest. Dressing up like animals."

Mei blinked and then forced a smile. "Y-You're right. It sounds really dumb."

Kotaro paused and looked thoughtfully at his fist. Mei saw how his claws grew out slowly and he smirked. "Of course…that hundred thousand yen doesn't sound too bad right now. I could get a lot of yummy treats with that."

Mei was beginning to get scared by that face.

* * *

"What are they saying?" Asuna hissed.

"I don't know! But you're getting heavy Asuna-san!" Negi whined as he was stuck being the bottom of the disguise. Both kids decided to play spies and dress up in an oversized coat.

"Hush! They're walking this way!"

"Hey Ane-san? I didn't know you went panty shopping! When did you get the new pair?"

"H-HUH?!" the girl squealed. Suddenly she felt something digging around on her back. She could perfectly picture the creature lifting her skirt up from behind and taking a peek from inside the coat. "YOU-YOU-YOU!"

"Shh! Asuna!" Negi hissed, but to no avail. He couldn't calm the girl down.

* * *

"What the…?" Kotaro mumbled, staring at the strange person bending one way and then another way, and then suddenly grabbing a piece of his own body and squeezing the life out of it. Then the feet of the person tripped over himself and stumbled back, falling over the rail and out of sight, screaming in what sounded in three different voices.

"What a weirdo." he muttered turning back on the street.

"You say something?" Mei asked.

"Nah, it's nothing."

* * *

lol short I know but more will come soon! Promise~


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